Crispy Apple Crisp with Extra Crisp

Y’all, I am not lying when I say this is one of the best desserts of all time. I know that my last recipe was so easy it made you want to kiss someone, but this apple crisp is so good that you will NOT want to kiss someone. Because if you’re kissing, you can not shovele more apple crisp into your mouth.

This recipe is straight from the kitchen of the Boyers. Mama Boyer (Sharon) used to make it all the time growing up, and still does, but I’ve made some key improvements. Okay key improvement, singular. The one thing this recipe has always needed is more crisp.

So, I’ve given it more, hence that super crispy name. It’s appropriate to post this recipe today, as I am also super crispy from being in the sun too long last weekend. This apple crisp is a metaphor for my life – sweet and crispy and always better with ice cream.

But I digress. On to the recipe!

Step one of this recipe is actually to buy the right apples. Any apple will do of course, but personally, we always use a variety that’s on the tangy side, rather than being sweet, since the crisp itself is already really sweet. Pink ladies are my favorite to use for two reasons: 1) they are just the right combination of tangy, sweet, and juicy, and 2) they are Jessica’s favorite, so she is happy to eat any leftovers.

If I can’t find pink ladies at the grocery story, I usually go for yellow delicious.

The first real in-the-kitchen step is to peel and chop up the apples. I used three pretty big ones for this batch but it depends on the size of the apple. Basically, you want to chop up enough to cover the bottom of an 8×8 or 9×9 pan.

As you can see, I went to fancy chopping school so I have perfectly square little bits of apple. Right.

In all seriousness, you don’t want the apples to be perfect little pieces. You want this to be rustic. It’s down-home cooking! Just make the apples bite-sized and roughly even.

You can cut up more apples if you want, but that kind of messes up my amazing apple-to-crisp ratio. If you want a more “normal” crisp, go for more apples. If you do that, I revoke your right to call this recipe “Crispy Apple Crisp with Extra Crisp.” Also, your family will hate you. Also, a unicorn somewhere dies.

Next, add cinnamon. Just sprinkle it on, no measuring needed!

Next, add a little flour to the apples. This will prevent them from turning to absolute mush in the oven, since it sucks up some of the juice. I add about 1/4 of a cup, but the amount of flour you add depends how many apples you chopped up and how juicy those apples are. More juice = more flour. Bigger pieces of apple also need less flour.

If you’re new to baking, do not worry! This is not an exact science. Just through in a quarter cup and when you taste the final result, if you would have liked juicer/less juicy apple crisp, adjust the amount of flour for next time. Don’t over-think it.

Last, add a little sugar. I forgot to take a picture of this step, but trust me, you want a little sweetness! Again, how much depends on your apples. Start by sprinkling on a little like you did with the cinnamon, but if you’re using tart apples (like yellow delicious), add a little more. If you’re using sweeter apples, you’re fine with use a sprinkling.

Toss the apples in the pan so they are all evenly coated with the cinnamon, flour, and sugar.

Next, it’s time to make the topping – the crisp part of the Crispy Apple Crisp with Extra Crisp.The best part.

The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of flour, 1 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp. of salt to be added to a bowl. For my version of this recipe, double all of those amounts and mix them together.

To that, add 2/3 cup of melted butter.

Stir to combine. Basically, the butter will make the rest of it wet and kind of sticky, but it will still be very crumbly. Spoon it on top of the apples.

For reference, on the left is what “normal” apple crisp looks like, with the recommended amount of crisp, and on the right is my crisp:

See, the original is good, but my version is way better. I made this apple crisp last Easter and my friend Randy said, “You know, you could probably just make the crisp.” He is totally right.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes and you’ll get this golden goodness:

Do not wait for it to cool. Not even a little. If you burn your mouth, you would care because it is so delicious. You can totally add ice cream at this point, but it’s really good on its own too.

Here’s the finished product:

As you can see, I couldn’t even take the time to plate a serving nicely for a picture. I just scooped it into the first bowl I found. Heck, I couldn’t even take the time to walk to the table to take a picture. I just snapped the camera and and immediately began devouring it.

The final step is to turn off your camera so you aren’t shamed by the incriminating pictures and get a second helping. Look around to make sure no one is watching and lick your bowl.

That’s how we always made it actually! But also remember to use unsalted butter, or that will throw it off. Also, if you’re using apples that are more tart than sweet, but don’t add extra sugar to compensate, that could also throw it off. If there’s not enough sweetness to balance, it will taste too salty.

And then, some people are just more sensitive to salt than others. So next time you make it, try with just 1 tsp or leave it out completely. 🙂

This recipe did not turn out, the crisp on the top didnt even hold together and it was just a step up from powdery! This is not a good recipe, something is wrong with it, i think theres too much flour, this was apple with stuff on top, not apple crisp

I am sorry the recipe did not turn out for you, Nancy! As you can see from the pics, my crisp definitely holds together and is nice and crunchy, not powdery. I promise, this is the recipe I use every time I make it!